The New Year has come and I am sure many of you have made resolutions–I, however, had made none. I’m doing quite the opposite actually.

While most people resolve to lose weight, I am giving up on losing weight. In September 2009, after I had my daughter I was determined to lose all of the 80 lbs I gained. It’s now been over two years later and I’m still trying to lose ten more pounds and it’s not going to happen.

So I’ve come to accept and frankly I don’t really care (I actually kind of care) but there is nothing I can do about it. I really don’t like dieting and a recent article in the New York Times by Tara Parker-Pope called Fat Trap made me realize any short-time diet I attempt to wouldn’t allow me to maintain my once “ideal” weight in the long run.

The article basically says that our bodies fight against weight loss. If you are really adamant about losing weight the diet you choose needs to be a lifelong journey.

That’s not going to happen for me especially since I got a two-in-one waffle and omelette/pancake maker. Homemade Belgian waffles are the best. These aren’t the cardboard egos I ate as a kid. These are addictive. These are drool-worthy. These are simply delicious!

The recipe makes a lot of waffles so that they can be frozen and reheated for later.

Method:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk till foamy, about ten minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites just until stiff peaks form.

In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the remaining milk, the melted butter and the sugar. Add the yeast mixture, salt, vanilla, and then alternate between the flour and remaining milk. Gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.

Cover the batter without touching it tightly with plastic wrap. Set bowl aside in a warm place to rise until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

I will try and give you the thesis of the article without excluding too many points. Basically a man named Eric Ravussin claims that exercise is useless for weight loss because “vastly overestimate how many calories they burn during a workout, and overcompensate by increasing their food intake after they exercise, especially when the workout is vigorous.”

Now, I am not an expert but I do not think that exercise is useless for weight loss. It has been proven that if you keep your diet the same and simply walk most places instead of driving or taking the stairs rather than the elevator you will eventually lose weight.

I don’t know what facts and studies he has to prove the validity of his theory but I find it a problematic statement. The problem I have with this claim is that it will stop people from exercising, which is something that plays an important role in a healthy lifestyle.

Ravussin says that for weight loss people need to focus on calories-in rather than calories-out. I believe the following argument is half true in that a person should focus on both caloric in take and exercise if he or she wants to lose weight.

His argument, however, becomes lofty when he goes on to say that “If you have been a couch potato for 45 years of your life it’s very unlikely you’re going to engage in a rigorous exercise program.”

One could also say that if you have been had a diet where you’ve been over-consuming fatty, unhealthy food for 45 years of your life it’s very unlikely you’re going to engage in a healthy diet program.

What I want to stress is that exercise is important. Don’t exercise mainly to lose weight. You should exercise because it is good for your body and is one of the key factors to a healthy lifestyle.

So go out and find an activity that gets your body moving like dancing, swimming, hiking or even walking. If you find an activity that you enjoy the exercise won’t feel like a chore.